Hubalek Pipped – Out in 7th (€8,160)

The players are operating with really quite shallow stacks now. Two big hands mean they have little choice but to get their chips in preflop and trust their survival to the poker gods.

So it was for the hapless Johannes Hubalek, who flatted Marko Maher’s UTG raise from the small blind with pocket nines, only for Chmieliauskas to wake up with Ts Tc in the big blind and move all-in for around 1,700,000 – having Hubalek just covered.

Maher must have secretly cursed his timing as he was forced to throw away his Qc Td. Back to Hubalek however… and he called…

BIG POT ALERT!

WIth the cards on their backs, Hubalek needed to spike a nine, but instead the board ran out Js 6h 3s 2s 7s to give Chmieliauskas a winning flush. Hubalek also made a flush but it was just one pip lower and that meant he leaves the tournament in 7th place for €8,160.

Well played sir! Chmieliauskas is now in the chiplead! What a recovery, having been shortstack for most of this final…